Can you give us an exemple where the character's looks came first ?

Kishimoto : Zabuza ! I wanted a name to go with that look and that terrifying gigantic sword.

Then now give us the opposite, a character you got the name first.

Kishimoto : Jiraiya ! His name only sounds really Kabuki like. I imagined a wizard like hermit with a scroll in his mouth on a frog.
For Kimimaro too I got the name first. I put on him two marks on his head like aristocrats had during the Heian Period.
Thoses characters were created after the names.

When you start with the name, do you have any particular care for the name itself and the vibe it gives ?

Kishimoto : Of course. For Kimimaro, I heard the name on TV, in a historical series. It gave me a very "old japan" vibe.

So the characters' name do have an influence on their nature and personality ?

Kishimoto : Yes. Neji use Kaitens, Rotations. A Screw ( Which is what Neji means in japanese. ) rotates too like a spiral when it's used, so it's very close from Uzumaki/Whirlpool.
I had to actually try not to give names too close to some characters.
Haku means white, he have a very white skin and a very pure and genuine personality, so at the end, I included a scene where it snows which is reference on his name.
For Kiba I went to the looks first, a beast man. Since he's always with a dog I gave him the surname Inuzuka ( Inu means dog. )

The first characters in Naruto have both names and surnames, like Uzumaki Naruto or Hatake Kakashi.
Then, later, characters starts having only one name. Like Gaara, why does he have only one name ?

Kishimoto : For me, Gaara's name was supposed to be Kotarou Fuuma. But my editor strongly disagreed. I objected and said it was a name fitting for a sand ninja and that went on for weeks.

Maybe he did refused because of Fuuma no Kojirou ?

Kishimoto : Even today, I still don't know the reason for that. When I said "Then how a I supposed to call him ?"
My editor said "Gaara" like "An Ashura that only likes himself" ( That was the kanjis means ). I actually liked that so I kept it.
Then later he told me that was the name of a Ski Resort ( Gaara Yuzawa in japan. ) and That he just returned from the place.
I said "That's just bullshit !" but since I already took the name in the story and I liked it, I kept it.
Later on I stopped focusing on surnames and just went for how the name sounds and what the name means.

Which names gave you more work ?

Kishimoto : This is never easy. The 1st characters were actually the hardest for me. Especially when there are a lot to find at the same time.
When the Chunnin Exam started, I had to come up with names for ALL THE ROOKIES in just one week. I didn't know what to do.
I remember one time, when looking at a screw, I had an idea and gave his name to Neji. That does tell you how much my inspiration was lacking.
More than one name, it's finding at lot at the same times that troubles me.
Then I wanted to give adjectives to the Kumo Ninjas. Like Samui ( Cool ) or Darui ( Dull ). But I could never come up with names as cool as I wanted.
I later became a really hard job to find new names.

Let's get on another topic. How do you come up with jutsu names ?

Kishimoto : During meetings I say the names I came up to my editor and we think about it together.
I explained to him what the jutsu does and hows does it looks with a rough drawing, since if you don't draw something it's hard to imagine what it's like.
After the meeting, after we decided what the jutsu would be like, I start looking for a name.
It's quite a delicate matter. I go for simple and "straight to the point" names, like Kage Bunshin/Shadow Clones.
My editor was rarely conviced by that and often asked me "Can't you come up with cooler names ?" Then I start looking for something better.
Like "Chidori/Thousand Birds" It wasn't supposed to be named like that.

What was the name like ?

Kishimoto : I actually forgot about that. That tells you how different it was. When I think about something linked to the jutsu itself it's far easier.
"A Sword named Chidori/Thousand Birds got cut by lightning and was renamed Raikiri". I imagined a lightning jutsu right after that.
sometimes, after talking with my editor, I change how the jutsu look. I visualized Chidori as Thousand Birds as many birds chirping.
For Edo Tensei, I explained my editor that the jutsu was supposed to resurrect the deads, then he gave me the very bouddhist like "Edo Tensei"/'Reincarnation to the Impure World".

You took a lot of your time to creates jutsu, right ?

Kishimoto : I always prepare some time to come up with jutsu names and then I think "What's the point ? I can do that the simple way."
now, with a global view, I think that's what really created the Naruto universe as we know it.
Wheh I saw the characters yelling the jutsu names in the anime, I realized the names I took the time to think through had way more impact once they were said by actors on TV.
But I think coming up with a "straight to the point" name is very important too. I must take a little from both.

Now let's talk about words. How did you came up with Naruto's "Dattebayo" ?

Kishimoto : I was looking for a brat like speech and I started from "Datteba" ( Roughly meaning "But I'm telling you that ..." )

So from the start, Naruto was supposed to have a verbal tic ?

Kishimoto : Of course. It's maybe a little simplistic when creating a character. But I like when a character has a definitive speech pattern and catch phrases.
That way the reader remember the character very fast from the way he's speaking.
Since I wanted the reader to be puzzled, maybe a little irritated, I gave Naruto a weird verbal tic.

End of Part 1

In the 1st part you told us how Naruto was created. Now I want to talk about their speech pattern and how they talk. Let's start by Kakashi. He started very rude but he softened quite a bit after that.

Kishimoto : During the character creation phase, before the actual 1st chapter was released, I used to draw him like a Samurai. At that time, I didn't really know what his character would be like. I had this very stern and rude master image in my head so I gave him a very strict speech pattern. But after that I wasn't happy with how it turned out. I started thinking "A laid back master would be better, I guess."

So you started to think about his personality as the readers know it ?

Kishimoto : A laid back master seemed very funny to me.
But when Kakashi starts getting serious, he's getting very hot blooded ! That's why I like him like that. Little by little I changed his speech pattern and gave it a laid back touch, with a bit of kindness and even a bit woman-like.

Except Naruto and Kakashi, a lot of characters have a very definitive speech pattern. Did some characters gave you trouble with that ? or some speechs you remember more than others ?

Kishimoto : I'd say Orochimaru. I wanted him to give a very creepy androgynous vibe.
But since I wanted him to be a terrifying opponent, I wondered if that was really the way to go to make him sound strong.
Then I started thinking it was good like that, he's strong and creepy, and the creepyness kept growing and growing.
For Jiraiya I have him an incisive and energic speech pattern like in old kabuki plays.
And since, except him, there has been few characters who really like to talk, he makes everything more colorful.

When you create actual speeches and lines, what do you take care of ?

Kishimoto : I try to "bend" the sentence/line, to make it hermetic. I always do that.

Please tell us more about that, in details.

Kishimoto : Before the chapter rough, I write the dialogue properly and then change it. At first I write in a very simple way, that where everything lies.
Then I try to put up some originality in it but it's not easy.

What kind of changes are you talking about ?

Kishimoto : I rewrite the dialogues to make them more strange, more different. But I sometimes go way overboard and my assistants can't understand whatever the hell I'm writing.
In that case, I go back to the original simple dialogue.